As I begin, I see my co-workers cringing from the title of my opinion piece. I see their faces and their hopes I will not announce it is almost time for Christmas in July on the Hallmark Channel.

Done. Announced.

It is right about now I send out my annual emails to my co-workers, family and friends to let them know about this upcoming event in case they have forgotten.

Christmas in July is when Hallmark airs a Christmas movie at least once a day - some familiar and some new. The event begins July 1.

No, I am not a paid spokesperson for the Hallmark Channel, although I should be for the amount of time I talk about it, and I don’t receive commissions on my recommendations. I am just a fan.

The late actor Treat Williams worked on several movies on the Hallmark Channel, one of which was a favorite Christmas movie.

In an interview to Vermont Magazine in 2021, he said, “I love my job on Hallmark. There’s a reason people binge-watch Hallmark. They don’t have to feel bad. They can feel good for two hours, and they can forget their troubles. There is a place for that, I think, particularly right now in this world.”

I’m especially fond of the Christmas movies. The towns are decorated beautifully, the town folks come together for holiday activities, families come together celebrating traditions, and everyone is happy in the end.

Is that reality? Absolutely not. Is it something we all wish for? Absolutely.

Is there conflict in these movies? Yes. However, they seem to always work out the issues. And of course, there is usually a love story - everyone falls in love.

Who doesn’t want to be in love?

In reality, many families are not like those in the Hallmark movies.

In my family, since the death of my niece last year from ovarian cancer, it couldn’t be farther from the Hallmark movies. Christmas last year was a forced event with minimal gifts, decorations and celebrations. And there is fighting within the family - this one isn’t talking to this one, etc. We are missing our loved ones, as many families are experiencing the same.

This week’s national news included a missing Titan sub, resulting in the death of five individuals; continued gun violence; sentencing of a Jan. 6 rioter who used a Taser on an officer; and 2024 election shenanigans.

My grandparents, who are no longer with us, used to say, “What is this world coming to?”

I think Williams had it right. If watching a Hallmark movie for two hours helps you forget about everything going on in the world right now, it’s not a bad thing. There is plenty of time to get back to reality.

Debbie Galbraith

editor

East Penn Press

Salisbury Press